2024 VFL Season - Finals

[AnUltimateRessie]

Carlton are first afl aligned team to be on the bottom of the ladder after round 10 in modern vfl (since 2000)

thats hilarious and awesome

 

[Shonuff77]

Bullants too good for Carlton. They had complete control of that game. Very good crowd at Preston City Oval.

 

[Dogs till i die]

Willy didn't turn up today, comprehensively beaten by a very good, but curious Port. Curious in the sense that they were 2-6 before today - how?

Previous posts of mine alluded to Willy being slightly off recently, but today was a shocker, beaten in every facet of the game.

Port wore hoops today, is that a heritage jumper, a one off for today?

 

[AussieNick1999]

Willy didn't turn up today, comprehensively beaten by a very good, but curious Port. Curious in the sense that they were 2-6 before today - how?

Previous posts of mine alluded to Willy being slightly off recently, but today was a shocker, beaten in every facet of the game.

Port wore hoops today, is that a heritage jumper, a one off for today?

I believe it's a heritage guernsey. The club's Wikipedia page lists the hoops guernsey as being used from 1897-1908 before the modern guernsey was introduced in 1909.

 

[troybe]

Willy didn't turn up today, comprehensively beaten by a very good, but curious Port. Curious in the sense that they were 2-6 before today - how?

Previous posts of mine alluded to Willy being slightly off recently, but today was a shocker, beaten in every facet of the game.

Port wore hoops today, is that a heritage jumper, a one off for today?

Heritage jumper celebrating Port turning 150, just for today. Jumpers to be auctioned off

 

[bedford]

Willy didn't turn up today, comprehensively beaten by a very good, but curious Port. Curious in the sense that they were 2-6 before today - how?

Previous posts of mine alluded to Willy being slightly off recently, but today was a shocker, beaten in every facet of the game.

Port wore hoops today, is that a heritage jumper, a one off for today?

It was a heritage jumper , too good against those #####

 

[J4x]

Who said Willy would smack Port? Certainly didnt see how both teams were tracking... Port looking very solid now. Only needed 1 goal from Gowers today and put 20 on the board, good to not have to rely on him to shoulder the scoring load. Now have outshot 1st last week and smashed 2nd by 10 goals. They are gelling pretty well and look like a united team... can have all the stars you want but a united team will always be better. Now beating an injured riddled Richmond on Friday will see them a game out of the 10, remarkable turnaround. Could seriously do damage, even from 10th in this form. Got a bye in the second last round as well so they'll get a rest to have a surge if they find themselves in the 10 come finals..

 

[Dogs till i die]

It was a heritage jumper , too good against those #####

Would be a travesty, if these 2 were to never play each other again if the AFL Reserves comp disrupts the stand alones from playing each other again.

Port and Willy have played each other 238 times, and that's only since 1897, doesn't count the 1877-1896 years. Was today the last time they played each other?

 

[MegaA]

Would be a travesty, if these 2 were to never play each other again if the AFL Reserves comp disrupts the stand alones from playing each other again.

Port and Willy have played each other 238 times, and that's only since 1897, doesn't count the 1877-1896 years. Was today the last time they played each other?

I feel not, i believe if the competition was too fold their would be enough passion from the stand alone clubs to form a elite Victorian competition. At present you have 3 clubs getting very good support, one whose doing well economically with probably coburg and preston being the ones least likely to be enthused about a new competition but even they i think would be interested.

We would need another 4 sides, possibly a ballarat or bendigo side could be feasible and used as a pathway for central Victorian players hoping to play AFL. I feel box hill would be ok to go stand alone, casey not likely and perhaps even Sandringam making a return, should those two join weld only need two more sides (perhaps filled with two strong suburban clubs) and then you have a 18 round competition where each play one another twice, none of this uneven fixturing. Reserves would make a comeback as well. If it was to happen they would need to act quick and not let seasons go by without forming a new comp. Stand alone clubs should get together and form a contingency plan for the worse case scenario.

And how good would it be to have promotion and relegation, perhaps one side per season.

 

[Walshawk]

I feel not, i believe if the competition was too fold their would be enough passion from the stand alone clubs to form a elite Victorian competition. At present you have 3 clubs getting very good support, one whose doing well economically with probably coburg and preston being the ones least likely to be enthused about a new competition but even they i think would be interested.

We would need another 4 sides, possibly a ballarat or bendigo side could be feasible and used as a pathway for central Victorian players hoping to play AFL. I feel box hill would be ok to go stand alone, casey not likely and perhaps even Sandringam making a return, should those two join weld only need two more sides (perhaps filled with two strong suburban clubs) and then you have a 18 round competition where each play one another twice, none of this uneven fixturing. Reserves would make a comeback as well. If it was to happen they would need to act quick and not let seasons go by without forming a new comp. Stand alone clubs should get together and form a contingency plan for the worse case scenario.

And how good would it be to have promotion and relegation, perhaps one side per season.

I am not so sure. There would be a major drop in profile for the clubs/sponsors, and reduced exposure for players hoping to further their career. I doubt any ‘new VFA’ would collapse within 12 months.

But, yes, the clubs should be working on any contingency plan now. If the AFL decides to cut them off, they won’t have much time.

The other option is that the clubs merge with their local footy local namesakes and play suburban footy.
Bullants witness Preston Bullants
Coburg with Coburg Districts Lions
Willi with their junior club
Werribee with Werribee Districts.
Port with Port Colt.
All these clubs have the same/similar colours. Perhaps a North-west Premier division with the five strongest clubs from the Western and Essendon leagues.

Same with Sandy and Frankston in the Southern league.

 

[MegaA]

Willy didn't turn up today, comprehensively beaten by a very good, but curious Port. Curious in the sense that they were 2-6 before today - how?

Previous posts of mine alluded to Willy being slightly off recently, but today was a shocker, beaten in every facet of the game.

Port wore hoops today, is that a heritage jumper, a one off for today?

How is port 2-6 you ask ?

Ill state the obvious (coz that's what i do), as has been said by others Port has recruited very well some have said the best among the stand alones but had taken a lot longer to gel than what we should have. We are now playing how we were hoping and somewhat expecting to play from round one. Seems to be alot more cohesiveness among the side, those silly errors which were costing us turnovers seem to be fewer. I feel Port will have a very strong back half of the season but will most likely just fall short, should we make finals dont be suprised if we go deep.

Having said that it should be noted that it easily could have been 3-2 (and shouldn't have lost all 3 of those games) and could have won last week against a undefeated gran sale Footescray but truth be told Footscray deserved their win.

The positive is that the sides gelling well and can take on anybody without being embarrassed the worrying thing for me is the time its taken. If we have another exodus im sure we will once again recruit very well but how long will it take to begin to play well together? Hopefully not several rounds.

 

[MegaA]

I am not so sure. There would be a major drop in profile for the clubs/sponsors, and reduced exposure for players hoping to further their career. I doubt any ‘new VFA’ would collapse within 12 months.

But, yes, the clubs should be working on any contingency plan now. If the AFL decides to cut them off, they won’t have much time.

The other option is that the clubs merge with their local footy local namesakes and play suburban footy.
Bullants witness Preston Bullants
Coburg with Coburg Districts Lions
Willi with their junior club
Werribee with Werribee Districts.
Port with Port Colt.
All these clubs have the same/similar colours. Perhaps a North-west Premier division with the five strongest clubs from the Western and Essendon leagues.

Same with Sandy and Frankston in the Southern league.

Ive heard people say that in the past (to just play local) for me and im guessing many others that would be unfortunate and theld be alot of disinterest. Part of the appeal is playing in a elite level competition.

I agree with you theld be a drop in profile for the competition but would their be that much of a drop that organising a 18 round competition is beyond possible? Im uncertain of the economics perhaps omebody in the know might be able to give us their view.

 

[AussieNick1999]

I feel not, i believe if the competition was too fold their would be enough passion from the stand alone clubs to form a elite Victorian competition. At present you have 3 clubs getting very good support, one whose doing well economically with probably coburg and preston being the ones least likely to be enthused about a new competition but even they i think would be interested.

We would need another 4 sides, possibly a ballarat or bendigo side could be feasible and used as a pathway for central Victorian players hoping to play AFL. I feel box hill would be ok to go stand alone, casey not likely and perhaps even Sandringam making a return, should those two join weld only need two more sides (perhaps filled with two strong suburban clubs) and then you have a 18 round competition where each play one another twice, none of this uneven fixturing. Reserves would make a comeback as well. If it was to happen they would need to act quick and not let seasons go by without forming a new comp. Stand alone clubs should get together and form a contingency plan for the worse case scenario.

And how good would it be to have promotion and relegation, perhaps one side per season.

Stand alone clubs should absolutely be making contingency plans with each other, and also reaching out to the stronger suburban clubs who might be willing to make the jump to a state league, or even to the VAFA. In Frankston's case it would be our only chance if a state league doesn't get off the ground.

One note on promotion and relegation. I can forsee some logistical issues with it. For instance what happens with a club's netball program if it gets promoted? Will they be allowed to keep playing in their local league? And what about the current state league clubs that don't have netball teams or the facilities to run one? Will they have to establish netball programs in the event they get relegated? And this might be mainly a Frankston issue, but if a state league club gets relegated and fans have to choose between suporting their former state league team or the local team they've also supported? I don't think the football landscape lends itself well to promotion/relegation outside of league divisions. Compare it to English football where, to my understanding, people generally only support one club based on their location, regardless of whether that club is in the Premier League or not. In Australia it's fairly common to find someone who supports multiple clubs at different levels (including a state league and local club) so a promotion/relegation system will make things awkward.

 

[AussieNick1999]

I am not so sure. There would be a major drop in profile for the clubs/sponsors, and reduced exposure for players hoping to further their career. I doubt any ‘new VFA’ would collapse within 12 months.

But, yes, the clubs should be working on any contingency plan now. If the AFL decides to cut them off, they won’t have much time.

The other option is that the clubs merge with their local footy local namesakes and play suburban footy.
Bullants witness Preston Bullants
Coburg with Coburg Districts Lions
Willi with their junior club
Werribee with Werribee Districts.
Port with Port Colt.
All these clubs have the same/similar colours. Perhaps a North-west Premier division with the five strongest clubs from the Western and Essendon leagues.

Same with Sandy and Frankston in the Southern league.

Frankston fits more within the MPFNL zone than the Southern League (although there's some overlap.) The club originally played there but I don't know who we could merge with. Frankston Bombers are the result of a split between club supporters when we joined the VFA, so we're both offshoots of the original Frankston FC, but both clubs have gone their own way for nearly 60 years now and I don't see a reunification happening.

 

[MegaA]

Frankston fits more within the MPFNL zone than the Southern League (although there's some overlap.) The club originally played there but I don't know who we could merge with. Frankston Bombers are the result of a split between club supporters when we joined the VFA, so we're both offshoots of the original Frankston FC, but both clubs have gone their own way for nearly 60 years now and I don't see a reunification happening.

Is their rivalry between those two clubs or is their common to have them also supporr the dolphins ?

 

[AussieNick1999]

Is their rivalry between those two clubs or is their common to have them also supporr the dolphins ?

No real rivalry that I'm aware of. The clubs have never competed on the field to my knowledge (not even in scratch matches) and apart from claiming the same foundation year and the same local premierships pre-split, they've pretty much done their own thing as far as I know.

The Dolphins aren't really all that well-supported amongst any of the local clubs. The night games have brought far more people through the gates than we used to have, but membership numbers have stagnated around 1000 since we got our licence back. You go to member's drinks nights on Friday and there's a couple dozen people at most, and not much going on at the club outside of game day. The amount of people who engage with the club outside of going to games seems incredibly small and the strength of the MPFNL probably does play a part in that.

 

[bedford]

No real rivalry that I'm aware of. The clubs have never competed on the field to my knowledge (not even in scratch matches) and apart from claiming the same foundation year and the same local premierships pre-split, they've pretty much done their own thing as far as I know.

The Dolphins aren't really all that well-supported amongst any of the local clubs. The night games have brought far more people through the gates than we used to have, but membership numbers have stagnated around 1000 since we got our licence back. You go to member's drinks nights on Friday and there's a couple dozen people at most, and not much going on at the club outside of game day. The amount of people who engage with the club outside of going to games seems incredibly small and the strength of the MPFNL probably does play a part in that.

Very good post . How's the boy that ran into Luke Parker

 

[AussieNick1999]

Very good post . How's the boy that ran into Luke Parker

Unfortunately I haven't heard anything as of late, just that he's out for most of the season. I know he was able to go home a little while ago but I imagine he's still off work. I did hear talk of Smith and his family being flown up with the team for the Brisbane game, which would be a nice gesture to keep him involved.

Unfortunately this club doesn't publish an injured list. All I hear is whatever gets mentioned in the club podcast or whatever I hear from people while down at the club.

 

[MegaA]

No real rivalry that I'm aware of. The clubs have never competed on the field to my knowledge (not even in scratch matches) and apart from claiming the same foundation year and the same local premierships pre-split, they've pretty much done their own thing as far as I know.

The Dolphins aren't really all that well-supported amongst any of the local clubs. The night games have brought far more people through the gates than we used to have, but membership numbers have stagnated around 1000 since we got our licence back. You go to member's drinks nights on Friday and there's a couple dozen people at most, and not much going on at the club outside of game day. The amount of people who engage with the club outside of going to games seems incredibly small and the strength of the MPFNL probably does play a part in that.

I sence that is common among vfl clubs. A few years ago Port tried to have training night meals but the level of disinterest made it unviable. We also have over 1000 members well off our all time low so we ought to be appreciative but much like your club match day is very much the main event.

 

[AussieNick1999]

I sence that is common among vfl clubs. A few years ago Port tried to have training night meals but the level of disinterest made it unviable. We also have over 1000 members well off our all time low so we ought to be appreciative but much like your club match day is very much the main event.

From my understanding your club draws a lot of its supporters from outside the suburb of Port Melbourne itself? I know the area has changed a lot and like most inner city areas it isn't the working class town that it used to be. I think demographic changes make life pretty hard for the clubs closer to Melbourne.

I feel like Frankston should be going a lot better than we are. While we're not as close to the city proper, the club is based in a region that is still very footy-mad with a strong local league, and we're representing a pretty wide area at a semi-elite level. But we're not capitalising on the potential fanbase we have. The club moved its members drinks nights to Thursday during the preseason, in order to encourage people to come down during training sessions and encourage players and supporters to mingle a little (players get served a post-training meal on Thursdays), only to backpedal and move it back to Friday after a couple of people complained that it impacted their schedules. This happened without any public announcement as far as I saw.

As much as people (myself included) laughed at Port for the supporters bus thing, I like that the club saw value in trying that.

 

[Walshawk]

Ive heard people say that in the past (to just play local) for me and im guessing many others that would be unfortunate and theld be alot of disinterest. Part of the appeal is playing in a elite level competition.

I agree with you theld be a drop in profile for the competition but would their be that much of a drop that organising a 18 round competition is beyond possible? Im uncertain of the economics perhaps omebody in the know might be able to give us their view.

Clubs like Coburg have less fans/support/cash than some of the big suburban clubs like Vermont. They find it hard now to find players. Once they are no longer the tier below the AFL, any 20 year olds not drafted who aspire to play AFL will want to be in AFL clubs top up lists, and those a little older will be a able to make more $$, travel less and play in front of bigger crowds in a strong suburban league like the EFL.

 

[MegaA]

From my understanding your club draws a lot of its supporters from outside the suburb of Port Melbourne itself? I know the area has changed a lot and like most inner city areas it isn't the working class town that it used to be. I think demographic changes make life pretty hard for the clubs closer to Melbourne.

I feel like Frankston should be going a lot better than we are. While we're not as close to the city proper, the club is based in a region that is still very footy-mad with a strong local league, and we're representing a pretty wide area at a semi-elite level. But we're not capitalising on the potential fanbase we have. The club moved its members drinks nights to Thursday during the preseason, in order to encourage people to come down during training sessions and encourage players and supporters to mingle a little (players get served a post-training meal on Thursdays), only to backpedal and move it back to Friday after a couple of people complained that it impacted their schedules. This happened without any public announcement as far as I saw.

As much as people (myself included) laughed at Port for the supporters bus thing, I like that the club saw value in trying that.

Good post mate with some valid points. Yes Port does draw a heap of support from outside Port, a few years ago we had less than 200 members from Port Melbourne. I do feel though that it is a easy sell, i say that as when ive volunteeted ive had a few people who were non members tell me they would sign up without much selling (basically memberships sold themselves if i could engage locals).

And fair point on the bus, our forum troll might bag our club for not getting the numbers for the bus but at least they tried, which was unthinkable in the past. My humble opinion is try things, those that dont work either put them aside or twinker, those that do go with it. Youll never know unless you give it a go.

On a side note part of the non success of the bus was due to the reason you said, not a heap of local members and team wasnt travelling well.

 

[Rickee]

Heritage jumper celebrating Port turning 150, just for today. Jumpers to be auctioned off

Not just for turning 150, Port vs Williamstown at Port every year for the past 6-7 years has been a heritage game, it's designated as Frank Johnson Memorial Day.

Port has had some really good heritage strips over the years, and Willi has participated a few times in the past, but the hoops is far and away the best for my money.

I've bid on one of the match guernseys, but I really wish ISC would market them for the fans, I think they'd sell out very quickly.

 

[bedford]

Not just for turning 150, Port vs Williamstown at Port every year for the past 6-7 years has been a heritage game, it's designated as Frank Johnson Memorial Day.

Port has had some really good heritage strips over the years, and Willi has participated a few times in the past, but the hoops is far and away the best for my money.

I've bid on one of the match guernseys, but I really wish ISC would market them for the fans, I think they'd sell out very quickly.

They are fantastic

 

[MegaA]

Not just for turning 150, Port vs Williamstown at Port every year for the past 6-7 years has been a heritage game, it's designated as Frank Johnson Memorial Day.

Port has had some really good heritage strips over the years, and Willi has participated a few times in the past, but the hoops is far and away the best for my money.

I've bid on one of the match guernseys, but I really wish ISC would market them for the fans, I think they'd sell out very quickly.

They are gunna make good money for the club, over a week to go and theirs over $4000 of bids on the mens tops alone. Possibly will be over 10k by the time the bidding endd.